Is NIH a good company to work for?

NIH has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on over 2,843 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months. 80% of employees would recommend working at NIH to a friend and 60% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about NIH have been left by employees working as Postdoctoral Researcher , Intern and Summer Intern .

Does NIH pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, NIH employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.9 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at NIH. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at NIH?

80% of NIH employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated NIH 4.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.2 for culture and values and 3.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at NIH?

Postdoctoral Fellow (298) , Research Fellow (124) , Postbaccalaureate IRTA (103) , Staff Scientist (63) , Postdoctoral Research Fellow (40) , Intern (38) , Research Assistant (38) , Summer Intern (29) , Post-Baccalaureate Fellow (27) , Scientist (25) , Research Scientist (23) , Biologist (22) , Program Analyst (21) , Post Doctoral Fellow (20) , Visiting Fellow (20)

What are the pros of working at NIH according to real employee reviews?

"The people are great and having a role in biomedical research is rewarding" ((in 141 reviews)); "Benefits are great and as expected" ((in 128 reviews)); "good work/life balance and super friendly teammates" ((in 77 reviews)); "Great lab and colleagues." ((in 61 reviews)); "Great opportunity to be mentored and grow as a scientist" ((in 52 reviews))

What are the cons of working at NIH according to real employee reviews?

"Low salaries and lack of benefit." ((in 79 reviews)); "can become repetitive, sometime poor management, same activity repeated," ((in 26 reviews)); "Corrupt leadership, erosion of standards" ((in 13 reviews)); "Lots of bureaucracy and red tape to navigate" ((in 12 reviews)); "Certain managers (and this is a systematic problem government wide) that focus on promotion based on "time in grade" rather than job performance." ((in 9 reviews))

What are employees saying about NIH layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about NIH layoffs and their outlook for job security at NIH in 2026.

What are the top reviewed NIH locations?

Bethesda , Rockville , Washington , Baltimore , Frederick , Durham , Gaithersburg , Silver Spring , Research Triangle Park , New York , North Bethesda , Phoenix , Raleigh , Boston , Herndon , Maryland Heights , Houston , Columbia , Bowie , Cambridge , Shady Grove , Little Falls , New Brunswick , Wayne , Princeton , Chicago , Kewanee , Annandale , Clifton , Reston

NIH reviews

4.1

80% would recommend to a friend

(2,341 total reviews)

Francis S. Collins

82% approve of CEO

60% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

NIH has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 2,341 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The NIH employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

2.0

Nov 6, 2013

underpaid

Microbiologist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

big campus, it's a government job

Cons

long hours, low pay, bad food on campus

4.0

Sep 13, 2013

Good place to conduct research but be aware of isolation

Research fellow

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

1. Good exposure to many different areas of biomedical research. 2. Offer many opportunities to interact with fellows and PI (but one needs to be more outgoing, "step out of the comfort zone". 3. Still not too constrained by budget restrictions although money has become tighter and tigher.

Cons

1. Bureaucracy is slowly killing off the good joy of doing science. Nowadays, support personel (secretary, office manager, HR) has become your boss. More and more rules are put in place to restrict reagent purchase, travel, etc. 2. Strangely, one can feel very isolated in this place. A lot of internal bickering, elbowing can be seen in many groups. One needs to step out of his group, interact with other labs to fully benefit the opportunities, otherwise, you can be left in your own corner. Speak up, step out to get help, no one will come to you willingly to provide help.

2.0

Aug 12, 2013

Government Research

Post doctoral irta

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

There is a enormous diversity in research at the NIH with opportunities to collaborate and expand your experience.

Cons

Politics dominate all of the aspects of research and advancement. The quality or relevance of your research is secondary to the political climate. Individual labs can rise above this, but some institutes are completely bogged down in the bureaucracy.

Viewing 175 - 177 of 2,341 Reviews

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Good place to conduct research but be aware of isolation

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